I have always been intrigued why Goans, and I include intelligent Goans (Catholic and Hindus), have a difficult time with the Goan Inquisition. I had my own theory for their difficulty to understand the Inquisition. Yet, this was well articulated by Prof Thomas Madden, in the article posted on this forum by Fred Noronha. More specifically to my theory, most Goans, including some authorities, view the Inquisition as only an "institution" issue. But Prof Madden states below in the very first paragraph of his article. He describes the two components of the Inquisition. In addition to the "institution", the history relates to "a period of time." Everything that happened in this "period of time", related or unrelated to the "institution" is considered "The Inquisition". This specially applied to Goa where during this "period of time" there were 1. Incessant wars with the Muslim Sultanates and later Dutch and British. 2. Population migration, (native and European). 3. Intrigue, double dealing in trade and treaties. 4. Spies, traitors and army deserters. 5. Famine, endemic diseases, appalling social practices. All the above occurred in what today would be described both literally and figuratively as "the melting pot" of Goa. So why do we view the Inquisition merely in the context of an "institution"? Because as Goans and non-Goans, many love to play the 'gottcha' game. And few love to recycle the "same old stuff" from 'intriguing' posts. I would strongly urge all Goans especially Catholics to read the article of Prof Madden. Some Goans present themselves as intellectuals and 'independent thinkers', by merely spouting the role of the Catholic Church in the Inquisition. As usual they have a lot of opinions with few hard facts. Many Hindutva writers state the "institutional linkage" with no mention in their writings (in print and on the web) of the "period of time". Thus were the prisons of the Inquisition period in Goa any different from the Muslim Sultanate prisons in Bijapur and Ahmednagar etc, or those of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan in Mysore; or the prisons of the Hindu Vijayanagar kingdom at Hampi? Similarly, one could compare the condition of Goa's prisons to the standards of the time in Europe. In fact the appalling (pest infested) conditions of the Inquisition prisons may not be very different from some Indian prisons today.
When it comes to capital punishment in the Inquisition period, England had hanging, boiling, and decapitation, The French had the guillotine and the Iberian countries had the burning at the stake. It would be interesting to know the forms of capital punishment in the various Indian kingdoms. Any enlightenment would be welcome. Please compare the number of people subject to capital punishment in Goa during the entire period of the Inquisition to what went on in England in the link below. This may be comparing apples and oranges, but it does give the readers that capital punishment was a common form of punishment in that period of history. From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_Kingdom Under the reign of Henry VIII some 72,000 people are estimated to have been executed by various methods [citation needed] including boiling, burning at the stake, decapitation and hanging, sometimes with the added punishment of drawing and quartering while still alive. Sir Samuel Romilly, speaking to the House of Commons on capital punishment in 1810, declared that "…[there is] no country on the face of the earth in which there [have] been so many different offences according to law to be punished with death as in England." Known as the "Bloody Code", at its height the criminal law included some 220 crimes punishable by death, including "being in the company of Gypsies for one month", "strong evidence of malice in a child aged 7–14 years of age" and "blacking the face or using a disguise whilst committing a crime". Many of these offences had been introduced to protect the property of the wealthy classes that emerged during the first half of the eighteenth century, a notable example being the Black Act of 1723, which created 50 capital offences for various acts of theft and poaching. Whilst executions for murder, burglary and robbery were common, the death sentences for minor offenders were often not carried out. However, children were commonly executed for such minor crimes as stealing. A sentence of death could be commuted or respited (permanently postponed) for reasons such as benefit of clergy, official pardons, pregnancy of the offender or performance of military or naval duty[1] Between 1770 and 1830, 35,000 death sentences were handed down in England and Wales, but only 7,000 executions were carried out.[2] --------------------------------- I hope in future, Goans will forward links to the Prof Madden article, accompanying the links of Jewish, Dutch or British (Protestant) sources, especially since Goans view the Inquisition merely as an "institutional" issue. Regards, GL --------- Posted by Fred Noronha --------------- The Real Inquisition: Investigating the popular myth. By Thomas F. Madden (June 18, 2004) When the sins of the Catholic Church are recited (as they so often are) the Inquisition figures prominently. People with no interest in European history know full well that it was led by brutal and fanatical churchmen who tortured, maimed, and killed those who dared question the authority of the Church. The word "Inquisition" is part of our modern vocabulary, describing both an institution and a period of time.
